The You only miss it when it's gone Job
by Falcons-Tears
Summary: A chance encounter between Eliot Spencer and Tony DiNozzo might just be what saves the two of them. It might be what Tony needs to be happy again by choosing a new path. And it might just save Eliot from going down that dark path again... (SLASH)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Okay, I really, really, really shouldn't have done that and I really don't know why I've done it, but again, my muses were very insistent that I start this story, and sorry that the first chapter is so short, but it's kind of a test drive, how you like it...

Again, I can only hope you won't hate me for this idea and maybe you will like it a little *smiles hopefully*

It's not set around any particular episode of NCIS or Leverage, so you can let your imagination run wild *grins*

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Comments would be more than appreciated, especially since I don't know, if I should really turn this into a story, even though I've the whole plot lined out in my head and I have even written the last chapter... well, more or less, and I only need to figure out how exactly to get there...

Well, now enough of my ramblings and have fun reading *smiles*

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**Warnings:** SLASH (Eliot/Tony), Tony!whump and a lot of Eliot!whump and maybe OOCness in later chapters...

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**Disclaimer:** None of the Leverage or NCIS characters belong to me and I'm just borrowing the characters for that little story. This is just for fun and not for money...

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**Summary:** A chance encounter between Eliot Spencer and Tony DiNozzo might just be what saves the two of them. It might be what Tony needs to be happy again by choosing a new path. And it might just save Eliot from going down that dark path again... (SLASH)

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**The You only miss it when it's gone Job**

**Chapter 1**

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A dull noise reached Tony DiNozzo's ears when his fist made contact with the worn leather of the punching bag. Again and again he hammered the battered leather, trying to get rid of the tension that coiled in his body. He hadn't even opted to wear boxing gloves, because he wanted to feel the pain. He needed to stop feeling so numb and any pain helped. Again Tony swung his hand, ready to give the punching bag one last punishing blow and then he'd call it quits.

Normally he might have used the gym at the headquarters, but the last thing he needed today, was that one member of his so-called team caught him. Tony had been more than happy to slip out of the bullpen when the others had been bonding... again on his expanse, something that happened more often than not in the last days.

Sure, maybe he was overreacting, but once again he hadn't been invited to a team-hangout at Abby's... at Abby's of all places. They had apologized, well Abby and McGee had, but right now, he really wasn't ready to face them anymore, after the Petty Officer they had rescued and who didn't even know him, had told them about Tony's little run-in with the dog. It had nearly bitten his hand off, but the team obviously found that funny. Well, McGee hadn't and Tony was kind of grateful for that, remembering how he had teased him after his own encounter with a German Shepard.

But still, after all the things that had happened over the last days, the not-invitation only the tip of the iceberg, Tony had needed a little time to himself.

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And that was why he found himself here, where he always retreated to when he needed time to think, his hand about ready to hit the punching bag really hard. But before it could, another hand closed around his wrist, effectively stopping the hand.

"If you hit the bag like that, you'll break your wrist," a deep, rumbling voice told him and Tony's head whipped around to be faced with a long-haired man, blue eyes looking curiously at him, his own hand still closed around Tony's wrist. The man's hair was tied in a ponytail and his lips were curled into a slight smile. Tony had never seen him around, so he assumed he wasn't a regular, because DiNozzo came to this little gym often enough to know all the regulars.

"None of your business," he snapped, yanking his hand free from the other man's grip. He really wasn't in the mood for small talk with a stranger. To his credit the shorter, but, judging by his frame and the way he held himself that screamed military, none the less stronger man than Tony, didn't even flinch. Tony studied him carefully and he looked a little like a cowboy in workout clothes and DiNozzo had no idea where that thought had come from, but he didn't have time to think about it, because the stranger was talking again.

"Maybe not, but I'd think that an NCIS agent needs both of his hands for the job," he drawled, grin still in place. Tony stared at the man for a second.

"Do I know you?" he questioned, hands crossed in front of his chest, tension rising again, because it was odd that this man knew that he was an NCIS agent, since most didn't even know what NCIS actually was.

"Nope, not yet," the other replied with a dirty grin that left no doubt that he was kind of flirting with DiNozzo. And not that he wasn't flattered, because the other was good-looking, but again, he wasn't in the mood for a one-night-stand tonight, especially if this was some creep, who had been watching and maybe stalking him to know who he was, and yes, Tony was paranoid enough that those thoughts crossed his mind.

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"And how do you know that I'm NCIS then?" he asked and the other snorted.

"You have a very distinctive stance and technique that just screams Navy-related, but your haircut doesn't match, so I figured you're NCIS, I've dealt with them more than once," he told him with a shrug and against his will Tony felt himself chuckle and he felt slightly better and a little more at ease.

"You're not from around here, are you?" Tony questioned, reaching for the towel that he had deposited on the bench beside the punching bag.

"Nah, just passing through, I'm here on a job, but I needed to work out a little steam after my team has done something stupid or I'll kill them instead. I figured the punching bag was a better option," the other man told him dryly, again with a shrug, obviously he came with a little anger of his own and Tony muttered: "I know that feeling."

"I thought so. That's why you wanna break that hand?"

The other man took a sip from his water bottle after asking that and Tony shrugged again.

"Not really breaking it, just feeling a little less numb," he answered and mirrored the action of the nan that had saved his hand, taking a sip of his own water bottle, waiting for the other man's reaction, which was not at all what Tony had expected.

"You know, there's another way to feel less numb. Maybe we could have some beers together and talk about our teams. I've been told that talking about it helps."

There was so much sarcasm in that last sentence that Tony couldn't help but laugh for a second. He appreciated the other man's dry humor and so he didn't really mind the invitation.

"Are you trying to pick me up?" he questioned, amused glint in his eyes. The other shrugged again.

"Thought it was worth a shot. I mean, you're obviously upset, I'm upset, so let's be upset together and have a few good beers while we're at it, because I'm sure you know a place that has good beer in this town. And if you'd shot me down, it wouldn't lead to any future embarrassing encounters, because I'm leaving town in a few days."

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Again, the other was straight forward and Tony appreciated it. Well, he hadn't been in the mood for a one-night-stand before, but the longer he talked to the stranger, who really wasn't unpleasant to look at, quite the contrary, he was handsome with those piercing blue eyes and that southern charm and probably a good body hidden underneath those clothes, the more he was willing. And having a few beers couldn't hurt, since he had tomorrow off anyway. And if he ended in bed with a handsome stranger, well, that would at least take his mind off of his problems.

"Then I guess you're lucky. I know just the place where we can get good beer and talk about our problems." Tony winced at the last part of that sentence and the stranger chuckled.

"You know, there are other things we could talk about, for example, which football team do you root for," he suggested, grabbing his own bag that he had dropped while talking to DiNozzo, shouldering it. Tony grinned and clapped the other man on the bag.

"Now you're speaking my language," he informed, grabbing his own bag and the two walked towards the showers in silence and just before they parted to get dressed and get out of here, Tony extended his hand towards the stranger.

"I'm Tony by the way. If we're having beer together, we should at least be on first name basis," he explained. The other man hesitated for a second, before shaking Tony's hand, the one he had stopped from being broken and told him with a hint of a smile, and again slight hesitation: "I'm Eliot."

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to be continued, if you're interested...

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So, how bad was it?

And please don't mind my totally unlogical Eliot line about how he knew that Tony was NCIS without being told, but I wanted to get "It's a very distinctive xy" in there somehow *grin*


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Hey everybody, since the plot bunnies won't leave me alone with this story, here comes a new chapter *smiles* It's a relatively long one, I'm just not sure if it's a good one *sigh* Eliot and Tony simply refused to cooperate the way I wanted them to. I hope I have managed to keep them at least a little in-character and you will enjoy reading this, regardless of me sucking at writing anything fluffy and flirty *sighs in frustration* *smiles shyly*

I'm really glad that you seemed to like the story idea though and I hope this chapter won't scare you away from the story *hopeful smile*

Comments would be more than appreciated *puppy dog eyes*

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And of course thank you so much to **Jesco123, Juanitastella, lizrat66, krynny, sunshine21409, Jackie6416, Guest, CountessZeno and Midnightstarlight23** for all your kind comments *hugs you all*

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**Warnings:** SLASH (Eliot/Tony), Tony!whump and a lot of Eliot!whump and maybe OOCness in later chapters...

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**Disclaimer:** None of the Leverage or NCIS characters belong to me and I'm just borrowing the characters for that little story. This is just for fun and not for money...

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**Chapter 2**

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"So I gave her a wrong number and if she has called it, she will unfortunately have ended up calling a sex-addicts-anonymous hotline and hopefully learn her lesson from that."

Tony, who had just taken a sip of his beer, nearly spit it out, because he was laughing so hard, especially with the dry no-nonsense way Eliot had delivered that little part of the story he had been telling. And the laughter from Tony pleased Eliot immensely, because n the last three hours they had spent together talking and drinking beer, he had realized that he really liked Tony's laugh. And the hitter was glad that the other hadn't shot him down when he'd made his move at the gym. But as soon as Eliot had seen Tony earlier at the gym, obviously angry and miserable, he had felt drawn to the other man for some reason, maybe even seeing a little of himself in him. And Eliot had really thought that, since he was leaving town as soon as team Leverage was finished with their job, it wouldn't hurt even if he had been shot down.

But Tony hadn't and the two got on more than well and better than Eliot could have imagined. They liked the same sports and in some occasions even cheered for the same teams. They both loved to cook and that was only just part of what they had in common. But they were also different enough so far that it didn't get boring. Tony, however, had been absolutely scandalized that Eliot didn't own a single DVD, let alone owned a decent flat-screen TV, and no, according to Tony 19 inch TV's were way too small to be allowed to be called a proper flat screen.

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In short, they had talked about everything and nothing, both avoiding the topic "work" and "teammates". Right now they were telling each other about their creepiest, craziest and worst dates and how they had got rid of those. And Eliot had just told Tony about a client that had gotten a little too "touchy-feely" and clingy after they had helped her, hadn't taken no for an answer, no matter what Eliot tried and had only left him alone when Eliot had given her a number. And at the time she had found out it was a wrong one, they had been long gone and Eliot had felt only slightly bad for that, because he had tried anything else before and nothing had worked.

Tony now had managed to calm himself down and he asked: "So this means you like both men and women?"

Eliot simply nodded.

"So do you. I mean, it's all about compatibility anyway, no matter what gender," he stated, which made Tony grin and shrug.

"As you said, there's nothing wrong with liking both men and women. Besides, it gives you twice as much people to chose from," he joked, head tilted slightly. Eliot raised his bottle of beer.

"I can't argue with that," he replied, clinking his bottle against Tony's. The other man chuckled, before both men took a sip from their beer. Tony's was empty now, but instead of ordering a new one, he gave Eliot a lopsided grin, again tilting his head slightly.

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"You know, since we've traded embarrassing and funny stories and have agreed and argued about sports, I think it's time for me to introduce you to the fun that is watching classic movies on a real flat-screen," he said, before adding: "So what do you think? Why don't we head over to my place and I'll show you a classic..."

Tony trailed off, but the seducing tone in his voice and the way he was looking at Eliot, told the Hitter that this was way more than an invitation to watch movies, but Eliot really didn't mind that, quite the contrary, he really liked the promise Tony's suggestion entailed. So he quickly emptied his own beer, put a few bills on the table and then winked at Tony.  
"Well, what are we waiting for then? I can't wait for you to show me some of your classics." Eliot's voice was a seductive growl, that went straight to Tony's cock and he doubted that they'd watch any movies once they reached Tony's apartment, but Tony didn't mind and he doubted that Eliot did, given by the look he was sending him.

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Since they were both more or less sensible adults and had way too many beers to drive safely and neither could afford to be arrested for driving drunk, they took a cab. That also had the added bonus that none of them needed to concentrate on driving, which gave them the opportunity to do something about the sudden sexual tension that had come out of nowhere, despite the mutual attraction they had felt from the moment they had met. It was Tony, who finally made the first move. He put one of his hands on Eliot's knee, the other threading through Eliot's now loose hair, something, Tony realized, he had wanted to do for quite a while now. Then he leaned forward and pressed his lips against Eliot's rough ones, tangling his hand even more tightly in Eliot's hair, keeping him close, relieved when the other man didn't protest and it only took him a few seconds to deepen the kiss. For a while they both tried to dominate the kiss, before and to Tony's surprise, Eliot relented and let the NCIS agent take control. Tony's hand that had been resting on Eliot's knee now traveled upwards and crept under Eliot's button down shirt, seeking skin contact, while the Hitter curled his hand around Tony's hip, pulling the other man even closer. They only broke apart when the need for air became too great.

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"Wow," Eliot muttered, slightly breathless and Tony chuckled: "I'll second that."

He grinned brightly at the other man, before leaning in for another kiss after realizing that Eliot's lips were just too kissable to not do exactly that. And Eliot allowed him that second kiss without hesitation. When they broke that kiss, Eliot leaned his forehead against Tony's.

"How much longer until we reach your apartment?"

Tony chuckled, brushing his hand over Eliot's sizable erection, prominent in the other man's tight jeans.

"Impatient, are we?" he teased, breath ghosting against Eliot's mouth. The Hitter answered with a chuckle of his own, his hand finding Tony's own erection.

"So are you," he murmured, kissing Tony's lips once again and DiNozzo didn't even try to deny it. Instead he opened the car door, since they had just stopped in front of Tony's apartment complex.

"It's a good thing that we're here now then, isn't it?" he questioned, while also paying the cabdriver, who hadn't even batted an eyelash at two guys making out in his car. The two then stumbled out of the cab, never once completely breaking contact, one always touching the other in some way, some touches innocent, others not really. How they actually made it into Tony's apartment and then his bed, none of the two could tell and the clothes thrown all over the floor could only tell half the story. But neither Eliot nor Tony did really care how they had got there, all they cared about were each other and that was all that mattered. For the whole night they simply let their bodies do the talking.

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The first streaks of sunlight through his curtains were what woke Tony the next morning and he immediately remembered what had happened the night before. And for a moment Tony was a little shocked at himself. He had really taken a supposed one-night-stand back home to his apartment and into his bed... that normally never happened with one-night-stands, because they mostly went to the other persons place and he didn't have many one-night-stands anyway. But this time he had broken all his own rules and his eyes snapped open at that realization. And he looked down at Eliot, who was using Tony's chest as a pillow, their limbs entangled tightly, which was necessary since Tony didn't really have a king-sized bed. But Tony hadn't minded last night and he really didn't mind right now. And that was another realization that scared him a little. He really didn't care that he had taken Eliot back to his home and into his bed. There was really something special about the other man, even Tony had realized that. They had gotten on so well from the very first moment and he had made Tony feel so much better immediately and he somehow had the feeling that he had also made Eliot forget about whatever had made him seek solace in that gym.

And the sex... well, the sex had been fantastic to say the least. They had been very compatible and once again Eliot had surprised Tony by leaving him in charge and letting him call the shots. Yes, it had been a really good night and Tony really wouldn't a repeat of that.

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"It's too early for you to think this loudly, Tony."

Eliot's sleep-laced voice made Tony startle for a second and he also stopped unconsciously running small circles with his index finger on Eliot's arm that was draped over Tony's waist. He hadn't even realized that he had done that. And well, he also hadn't realized that Eliot had woken up.

"Morning to you too, sunshine," he teased, earning him a light smack on the arm from the other man.

"Not a morning person then, I take it?" Tony inquired curiously, surprised when Eliot snorted.

"Well, I normally only sleep ninety minutes per night," he started, which Tony commented with a raised eyebrow and a doubtful look, so he reached up and kissed that look away, before he continued: "But you wore me out last night, so I needed a little more sleep."

"I'll take that as a compliment then," Tony grinned and his hand traveled down to squeeze Eliot's ass.

"You're not sore, are you?" he questioned and it wasn't only a joke, he was actually a little concerned since he had seen Eliot wince as soon as he had moved in surprise when Tony had squeezed his backside. This time Eliot snorted again.

"I've had worse," he said easily and Tony was about to answer that with another joke, but the expression on Eliot's face made him stop mid-sentence and for a second he itched to ask what he meant by that, but then again, he'd only known Eliot for about a day and it wasn't in his right to ask him about it.

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His stomach rumbling loudly fortunately gave him the chance to change the subject.

"Are you hungry too?" he questioned, a little surprised at himself. Normally he didn't stay for breakfast, but then again things with Eliot had been different from the beginning and he just hoped that the other would stay and that they could talk some more. But he didn't want to seem too assuming or anything like that. Eliot chuckled and sat up and then he nodded.

"If you have a full fridge, I'll make breakfast, the least I can do after you let me stay the night and then I'll go," he suggested, but Tony heard the slight questioning undertone in Eliot's voice. The Hitter also was reluctant to just simply go, but he also didn't want to voice this too soon. That night with Tony had been different from most of his other one-night-stands too and he would have liked more time to figure out why. Sure, Tony was a man of the law and that spelled danger for the Leverage team, but Eliot also thought he was a great man and he wanted to get to know the other better. So he left the options open for the other man by suggesting that he would go after breakfast.

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"Well, I never say no to a self-made breakfast that I don't have to... well... make myself," he explained, reaching for his boxers that had somehow got tangled on the edge of his nightstand and Tony really had no idea how that had happened, but he didn't care. Eliot watched him, before scanning the bedroom for his own underwear. He didn't really spot it anywhere, but Tony helped him out and fished it out from under the bed. Again, they really had no idea how it had gotten there.

Eliot quickly put it on and then dressed into the rest of his clothes, following the trail into the living room and kitchen area.

Tony, dressed in comfortable sweatpants and a t-shirt, followed him and started to show him where everything was in his kitchen, again a first. He normally didn't let people mess with things in his kitchen, but he had to admit, watching Eliot prepare food could quickly become one of his favorite things. The other man did it with so much ease and he looked so relaxed and carefree when he did it, that it really was a joy to watch.

Tony simply lounged on one of the chairs and sipped on the coffee he had made himself, of course preparing one for Eliot too, which had gone untouched so far however.

"You know, I never would have thought that you'd allow me to top," Tony finally broke the silence and shook himself from watching Eliot's hands cutting cheese and why he thought of sex while doing that... well, that was an answer he really wasn't ready to give. Again Eliot chuckled, looked up, but didn't even stop cutting. The other man simply shrugged.

"I'm secure enough in what I am to let other man top me and since I enjoy both and I wasn't sure if you'd enjoy not being on top and in control, it was an easy decision to make," Eliot explained. Tony grinned at him and before he could stop himself, he said: "Maybe we can try it the other way around some time."

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As soon as the words had left his lips, the kitchen descended into silence, because suddenly there it was, the elephant in the room, they both had been afraid to bring up for some reason. Eliot put the knife he was holding down and tilted his head slightly, looking at Tony with an unreadable expression and the NCIS-agent found himself shifting in his seat a little. He knew that the ball was in Eliot's court now, so he waited with baited breath for an answer, looking Eliot straight in the eyes, trying to convey that he really wouldn't mind seeing Eliot again.

And finally Eliot broke out into a small smile, continued to cut the cheese, putting them on the omelets he had made as finishing touches.

"That certainly seems like a good idea, given we both had a lot of fun last night," he simply stated, nothing too sappy or emotional, absolutely fitting for Eliot's character, at least that part of personality that Tony had now become familiar with, even though he was pretty sure there was much more to the younger man than the mask he wore, just like there was more to Tony than his frat-boy image. But they were both men that only allowed a selected few to see what they were really like. And as much as they were attracted to each other, just knowing each other for about a day wasn't enough time to reveal all secrets.

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The two then ate their breakfast in silence and Tony was again a little surprised how normal it felt to sit here at his kitchen table with someone else and share breakfast. Once they were finished, Tony made a thumbs up sign with his hand and complimented: "Wow, that was probably the best omelet I've ever eaten."

Eliot chuckled again, but he didn't comment on it, because suddenly a mobile rang very insistently and Eliot rolled his eyes, fishing the phone out of his bag that they had carelessly dropped at the kitchen counter last night. One look at the caller ID made Eliot sigh in frustration, giving Tony an apologetic look before he picked it up.

"Yeah?" he grunted, not bothering with more of a greeting and Tony wondered if that was one of his teammates. He quietly sipped his coffee and listened to the one-sided-conversation, not really able to make sense of it.

"Damn it, Hardison, ever heard of a private life?" Eliot now snapped, starting to pace the kitchen in irritation.

"No, I wasn't going to quit just because of that. I just needed some time to myself, so tell Parker she can stop worrying and you can tell Nate that I'll be back in time for the meeting with our client."

Now Eliot ran a hand through his hair and sat down on the chair again and Tony could see that it took a lot of effort for Eliot to not repeatedly bash his head against the kitchen counter in frustration.

"Yes, I'll be there as soon as I can," Eliot finally ended the call, before carelessly throwing the phone back into his bag. Then he looked at Tony, the annoyance still clear in his voice.

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"So we gotta have to cut breakfast short, because your boss wants to see you," Tony guessed and Eliot growled something that sounded much like a swear word, before he nodded.

"I'm afraid so," he said and Tony was surprised to hear honest regret in the other man's voice. Well, he regretted it too, because he had hoped to be able to persuade Eliot to take a shower together. That was a bust now. But he only shrugged and tried to be understanding.

"Hey, I'm a federal agent, so I know how that is when you have to cut things short, because a new case comes up," he explained, grinning again.

"Besides, we already agreed that we're going to do this again, so this isn't that bad."

"Well, I can't argue with that," Eliot agreed and then reached for Tony's cell that was lying on the kitchen counter, probably put there by Tony, because the other had feared that it might break in their hurry to undress and when Eliot thought about where their clothes had ended up and how they had ended up there, he had probably been right. The Hitter quickly programmed his number in there, one of a private cell that Hardison hadn't set up and that wouldn't be able to be traced back to anything that had to do with team Leverage, because he wasn't sure how Tony would react to learn about what he was doing for a living.

"Call me when you want to. I can't promise I'll answer the phone right away because of my work, but I'll call you back as soon as I'm able, but I promise you won't end up calling a sex-addicts-anonymous-hotline," he told the other and showed him the number and his name "Eliot" programmed into the phone. Tony chuckled, took the phone back, placed it beside him on the table and nodded.

"Will do," he said, before sighing.

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"Not that I want to get rid of you like this, but I guess you should probably better run before you get into trouble with your boss. I know that Gibbs, my boss, hates it when one is late," Tony informed, a little surprised when Eliot's face suddenly tensed up.

"Gibbs? As in Leroy Jethro, second "b" for bastard, Gibbs? Former marine sniper?" Eliot questioned and this time Tony tensed up, but he gave a court nod.

"The one and only. I take it, that you've met him before." It wasn't a question but a statement and Eliot ran a wary hand over his face.

"Yeah I have, can't say it was all that pleasant," he admitted and looked at Tony.

"So if it's a problem that I hate your boss, I guess you should delete my number now," Eliot told him and the thought that Tony might just do that, shouldn't hurt as much as it did. DiNozzo took a deep breath, but to his credit it didn't take him long to answer.

"If I stopped being friends with people that aren't exactly on good terms with Gibbs, then I'd really be out of friends soon. And besides, right now I kind of hate him too, so I guess I'll keep your number and maybe you can convince me to choose your side," he said, giving Eliot one of his trademark "DiNozzo"-smiles, which made Eliot chuckle.

"Well, then I'll have to do my best to convince you of exactly that," Eliot murmured, leaned over the counter and claimed Tony's lips in another kiss that instantly spiked arousal in DiNozzo and gave a regretful sigh when Eliot drew back and reached for his gym-bag.

"That was a good start," Tony told him and walked Eliot to the door. The two of them stood there for an awkward moment, before Tony thought "to hell with it" and leaned closer again to give Eliot one last kiss, this time not aggressive, but sweet and full of promise, which made leaving for Eliot so much harder, but he knew he had to go now or things would get too complicated too soon.

"Well, I guess I'll hear from you soon," Eliot started, before adding: "And I'd appreciate that you wouldn't tell Gibbs about me. I'm not sure if he remembers me, but I don't want him to color your opinion of me in case he does." The Hitter hoped that that hadn't come across as weird or pleading, or Tony might run to the next computer and do a background check on him, not that he'd find much, but still...

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Tony quickly shook his head.

"I keep my private life and my work as separate as possible, so don't stress about it," he explained. Sure, he really would have liked to get the story about how and why Gibbs and Eliot had met, but he somehow thought he'd like to hear it from Eliot some day and not from Gibbs. Again, there was that long-term thinking that kind of scared Tony a little.

Eliot, unaware of Tony's similar thoughts to his own, finally re-shouldered his bag properly and with a little smile at the man, left Tony's apartment to get back to his work. Tony watched him go until he had vanished into the elevator. Then he went back into his own apartment, before, with another deep sigh, started to clean up his kitchen, wondering why his apartment felt so empty all of sudden. He spotted his cell-phone on the kitchen table and with a slight smile picked it up, before typing a quick message to Eliot, his subconscious hoping that this might not be the last message the two exchanged.

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"_**Just so you have my number too and can call me, when you finally want to watch those classic movies, or when you need someone to stop you from breaking your hand this time.**_

_**Tony"**_

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to be continued...

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So yeah, here it is and I better go hiding now *hides behind Eliot and Tony*

Comments would, as stated before, none the less be appreciated *smiles sheepishly*


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Hey everybody *waves* Not much to say this time, just that I hope you do enjoy the new chapter *smiles*

And reviews would of course be most appreciated *puppy dog eyes*

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Thank you to **alaine1910, Jesco123, TheNaggingCube** (wow, thank you for that big compliment *smiles brightly*),** Draven98, SivanShemesh, krynny, Midnightstarlight23, Mary4Angelus, Quiet Ryter and Guest** for all your kind words *hugs you all* Your support really means a lot to me and always makes my day better *hugs*

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**Warnings:** SLASH (Eliot/Tony), Tony!whump and a lot of Eliot!whump and maybe OOCness in later chapters...

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**Disclaimer:** None of the Leverage or NCIS characters belong to me and I'm just borrowing the characters for that little story. This is just for fun and not for money...

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**Chapter 3**

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"So, how about watching a movie tonight?"

Eliot furrowed his brows while he listened to Tony's suggestion over the phone.

"Um, Tony, just in case you haven't noticed, I'm on a different continent right now and your tonight is not my tonight," he reminded the other man. Tony and Eliot had been phoning each other for two months now and whenever Eliot had had the time between jobs, he'd driven to Tony's and they had spent time together, having dinner, watching movies, talking and of course having sex. And even after those two months they still got along spectacularly well.

But right now the Hitter really had no idea what Tony was talking about and what he meant with this statement. Sure, he could imagine a lot worse things than watching a movie with Tony tonight, but there was that slight problem that they were in entirely different time-zones.

"And your point is? I'm pretty sure that even the crappiest hotel has a TV and a chance to order movies on demand," Tony started to explain.

Eliot's other brow followed the first towards his hairline. He wasn't about to tell him that the hotel he was booked in together with the rest of team Leverage was a five star luxurious resort, thank Hardison for that and that there was a 50 inch flat screen mounted on the wall across from the bed, Eliot was currently lying on. And yes, there was also a video-on-demand section too, because Eliot had just looked for it, and yes, he knew how to do that, thank you very much. He had, of course completely by accident, found the extensive over 18 adult video section, too, again, something he wasn't about to tell Tony that or the other would get even crazier ideas. But Eliot had taken to watching movies more now than he had before he had met Tony. But he still had no idea what Tony was getting at with his suggestion.

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"Yes, I have a TV, even in a size that even you would label a real flat screen," he finally answered and Tony chuckled.

"Aww, you still remember our first conversation, I'm really touched," the NCIS-agent said and Eliot only rolled his eyes at Tony's exaggerated sappiness, but he also had a fond smile on his face at the words. The Hitter was also about to answer again, probably with something way too corny given his character, when he suddenly felt another presence in the room and his head snapped around to see Parker sitting cross-legged on the windowsill.

"Damn it, Parker," Eliot cursed and glared at the cat-burglar. He hated it when she sneaked into his room and he had strictly forbidden her from doing so when he was sleeping, especially after he had nearly killed her once when she'd sneaked into his room during the night and he had been in a deep sleep, lost in his nightmares and memories of times he'd give his right hand to forget. And before he had fully woken up, he'd nearly chocked Parker to death. She had been scared of him for a few days after that and Hardison had also given him accusatory glances until he had made it up to them with a three course meal and a real apology, because yes, he had felt bad about it. But at least it had taught the whole team to respect the few rules he had made for them. But obviously Parker had thought that it was save to come in here, since he was awake and talking on the phone.

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"Parker?" Tony meanwhile questioned through the phone and Eliot told him: "Sorry, but Parker just sneaked into my room. Give me a minute and then we can continue talking."

"Okay," Tony said and Eliot gave a sigh of relief that he didn't ask more questions. He put his hand over the speaker of the mobile, lowered it and glared at the blonde thief.

"What?" he asked angrily.

"Nate has sent me to tell you that you need to get off the phone with your boyfriend and come to his room, because we have an emergency meeting," she explained, hopping to her feet, balancing on the windowsill and Eliot made a mental note to close his window next time.

"How often do I have to tell you that Tony is not my boyfriend?" he questioned in exasperation, not noticing that his hand had slipped a little from the speaker.

Parker only shrugged her shoulders.

"Whatever, but please come. Nate's getting creepy again," she told him, eyes wide and Eliot could see a little insecurity in them, which meant that Nate was about to go way off the rails again. But before Eliot could say anything, she was out of the window and the Hitter simply sighed deeply, knowing that he couldn't escape that meeting, if only for the sake of stopping Nate from making too many crazy plans and taking too many unnecessary risks.

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Eliot put the phone back against his ear, but he only got out a "sorry", before Tony questioned, voice strange: "You know, for me not being your boyfriend we spent an awful lot of time doing boyfriendy things, such as talking, having dinner, having sex and most important not sleeping with other people."

Eliot stiffened and then he got up to close the window. So Tony had heard what Parker had said. And suddenly there it was... the elephant in the room both had been good at ignoring. Eliot and Tony hadn't really defined what exactly they were to each other, because both of them weren't good at talking about feelings, well, they both could talk about their feelings, they simply chose not to when it wasn't necessary. So this little statement from Parker and the meaning behind it had put both of them on thin ice.

"Tony, I don't think that we should have this kind of conversation over the phone, especially when any of my co-workers, who sometimes don't know the meaning of personal space, could come in any time," Eliot started and he was relieved when Tony agreed with him on that. There was a moment of silence between them, before Tony questioned: "So then when you're back in the good old US of America?"

"Yeah, it might be good to be in the same time zone to have this talk," Eliot admitted.

"When are you going to be back?" Tony then wanted to know and Eliot shrugged a little, because he really didn't know. Their mark proved to be smarter than they had thought and his sore ribs could attest to that.

"I hope in about three or four days," he guessed and he'd try his best to meet that deadline, because, no matter how bad he was at talking about feelings, Eliot knew that this talk was important to both him and Tony.

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"Well, if you're back, I'm sure your boss won't mind if you make a little detour and come here, call me and I'll pick you up at the airport," Tony suggested and Eliot didn't really have a problem with that idea. Nate had already promised the team a few days off and Eliot had already planned on visiting Tony anyway.

"I think I can arrange that," he agreed, running a hand through his hair.

"Good. Then let me know when you're here and hope that no marine is going to die that night, so that we have the time to get this dreaded talk over with." Tony tried to be joking about the importance to make it easier for the both of them so that they wouldn't feel too awkward and Eliot really appreciated that effort. But he also suddenly liked they idea that he and Tony would define their relationship. But both didn't want to talk about it anymore now, so again silence settled over them.

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It was Eliot, who broke it after Parker's face appeared upside down in his window, her face a mask of impatience.

"Well, I better go now or Nate will be even more pissed than he already is," he explained and Tony immediately questioned: "Is it still that bad?"

Eliot sighed, touched his sore ribs and then he answered Tony: "Not really, but the job is hard and Nate kind of hates it when I point out obvious flaws in his plans."

And that was true, you couldn't exactly say that he and the team were on bad terms, quite the contrary, Eliot considered all of them family, but Nate was once again getting more reckless than necessary and Hardison's ego had grown a little too big after running his first successful con where nobody hadn't got kidnapped. Sophie was, for reasons unknown to Eliot, irritable and snapped at him for no reason and Parker... well... she was still Parker. And that alone was enough to drive Eliot half crazy, especially since he seemed to have become the moral compass and voice of reason lately. And that alone was kind of ironic when you used a former assassin, who had done some very bad things in the past, as moral compass...

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And so, since this job turned out way more dangerous than they had expected, things had been tense for the last few days, hell weeks even and Eliot had occasionally told Tony a little bit about it.

"I see," was all Tony said and as always Eliot was grateful that the other didn't pry, because the Hitter still hadn't told him what he did for a living, but so far Tony had never pressed.

"So I guess our movie night is a bust?" the NCIS-agent asked instead, sighing regretfully.

"I'm afraid so," Eliot replied, even though he still had no idea how exactly that movie night had been supposed to go.

"It will be more fun anyway when we're on the same continent, in the same time zone and even better on the same couch with a nice bed within reach." Eliot chuckled at Tony's words.

"Yeah, you're quite right about that. It will be much more fun this way," he agreed and he could almost picture Tony's smile and nod, before the other man continued:"And my break is over anyway."

"I'll talk to you later or tomorrow, okay?" Eliot then questioned and when Tony agreed, the two ended the call.

"Bye Lio," Tony said. He had taken to call Eliot that and the Hitter always rolled his eyes, but it was quite endearing in a way and it set Tony apart from anyone else. And Eliot had to admit that he kind of liked that fact, not that he'd admit that out loud to anyone in the near future.

"Bye," he replied and then he hung up the phone too, before he finally went to the meeting with Nate and the rest of the team, hoping that he'd be back in the USA and back on Tony's couch soon to have that "boyfriend talk".

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* * *

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Tony couldn't help the grin still lingering on his face after ending the call with Eliot. He then let out a long sigh and leaned his head back against the wall behind him. He had spent his short break that Gibbs had finally given them, holed up in autopsy, or more precisely in Ducky's office, with the ME's permission of course. It was the only place that he had the privacy he needed for his talks to Eliot. After today he had really needed to talk to Eliot and Ducky had made sure that he wasn't disturbed by Ziva, McGee or Abby. They had all realized that Tony kept a secret from him and were pestering him to tell them, but that was something that Tony really didn't want to do.

Ducky, and Palmer by default, were the only ones who really knew that Eliot existed and how important he had become to Tony, not that DiNozzo had really admitted to himself how much exactly Eliot had come to mean to him, well at least not consciously.

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Tony really felt better now that he'd talked to Eliot and now that there was the prospect of seeing the other man soon. Sure, he was a little nervous about that "boyfriend talk", but he also kind of looked forward to it, because deep down, hidden somewhere in the back of his mind, Eliot had long become more than a friend with benefits, but he had never really dared to bring it up with Eliot, but now he had the distinct feeling, that maybe Eliot had had the same thoughts. Well, whatever the case was, he'd find out soon and again a smile made its way back onto his face and he finally pushed himself up from the ground and straightened his suit, put his cellphone back into his pocket and waled out of Ducky's office into the main autopsy room, where the ME was busy writing his reports.

"Thanks for letting me borrow your office, Duck," he told the other. Ducky simply waved his hand dismissively.

"Not a problem, dear boy," he assured him and then he looked up from his reports and smiled at Tony.

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"I assume you feel better now?" he questioned, concern evident in his voice. Of course he'd noticed the tension between Tony and the rest of team Gibbs, especially between Ziva and Tony.

DiNozzo simply smiled at him, a true smile that reached his eyes this time.

"Yeah, I feel better, especially since Eliot is going to come and visit me in a few days and we're going to have that "boyfriend conversation".

Of course he'd confided in Ducky about all of this, because the older man would keep his secret and he always had a piece of advice for the younger man. The ME chuckled.

"It's about time, Anthony," he told him, handing the NCIS-agent the report Gibbs had wanted and which Tony had offered to get so that he had an excuse to come down here during his break without anyone asking questions.

"Thanks Duck." Tony took the report, quickly scanned through it and was about to leave, when Ducky stopped him again.

"And maybe I could meet this Eliot when he gets here," he questioned carefully. He didn't want to pressure Tony, but he was really curious about that man that had put a real smile back on Tony's face. He was relieved when Tony simply shrugged with one shoulder.

"I'll have to talk to Eliot about this and then I'll get back to you," he explained. Sure, Tony would like Eliot and Ducky to meet one day and he had the feeling that the two would get on spectacularly well. But if he met Ducky, then that was somehow one step closer to Eliot meeting the whole team and Tony wasn't too sure that that would go down too well, especially since there seemed to be no love lost between Gibbs and Eliot, even though Tony still didn't know that story.

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"Do that, my dear boy. And now you should get back to work, before anyone really comes looking for you," Ducky reminded him and Tony nodded. And after a "bye" and "see you later", he left autopsy, familiarizing himself even more with the most important details of the autopsy report, so that he had something to tell Gibbs. Tony sighed again and hoped that they had this case closed and not a new one opened when Eliot came back, so that he'd be able to take a few days off to spent time with his... well... whatever Eliot was going to be in the future...

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* * *

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A few days later Tony had been sleeping peacefully when suddenly his eyes snapped open and a quick glance at the clock on his nightstand told him that it was four o'clock in the morning and it took him a moment to realize what had woken him up. And for once it wasn't Gibbs or McGee calling to tell him that they had a new case. Instead there was a loud knock on his apartment door. Tony frowned and quickly opened his drawer, took out his gun of its hiding spot... just in case... and then he slowly walked towards his door, trying to not make a sound. Reaching his door, he carefully looked through the viewer in his door.

And then all caution was thrown to the wind when he recognized Eliot leaning heavily against the door frame. He yanked open the door in a haste, eyes wide and pulse racing.

"Eliot?" he questioned, worry bordering on panic creeping into his voice, especially when he took in the state of the other man. There was a dark purple bruise underneath his left eye and the part of Eliot's chest he could see through the torn shirt was one single dark bruise. But what worried Tony the most, was the growing stain of red on Eliot's left side.

"What happened?" he questioned while leading Eliot into his apartment, not caring that some drops of blood spilled onto his carpet. Eliot still hadn't said a word and it was obvious that every step caused the other immense pain.

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Still, Eliot raised his head and looked at Tony, eyes unfocused.

"Would you believe me, if I told you that I was mugged?" Eliot questioned, voice uncharacteristically weak. Tony simply raised his eyebrow and help Eliot sit on his bed.

"You can tell me the truth later, Eliot. Right now you need a doctor," he simply stated, gently lowering Eliot so that he could lie down on the bed.

"No hospitals and doctors," Eliot insisted, looking at Tony pleadingly and the NCIS agent found himself giving in. So he simply gave Eliot a weak smile.

"I'll call a friend, who can help you," he said, reaching for his cellphone, but he nearly dropped it in shock, when Eliot's whole body suddenly tensed and then went limp. Eliot finally had lost the battle with consciousness. In a hurry Tony felt for the other man's pulse, while simultaneously dialing Ducky's number, hoping that the ME would pick up. He was also a little relieved to find a steady pulse beating underneath his skin. And as soon as Tony heard Ducky's sleepy voice come through, he nearly shouted: "Please Ducky, I need you to help me... Eliot is hurt..."

He didn't even wait for a answer, he simply hung up again, his whole attention on the unconscious Hitter, murmuring over and over again: "Please be okay Eliot..."

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to be continued...


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Hey everybody *waves shyly* Again, I'm so sorry that I haven't updated most of my stories for so long, but as stated before, real life wasn't easy and I needed to take a break. But now I'm back for good and I hope to update many of my stories in the coming weeks and I also hope that you're still interested in my stories *smiles hopefully*

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This chapter was hard to write, but it needed to be written and I tried to keep Tony and Eliot as in character as possible, but I doubt I managed and I only hope that it's not too bad and you will enjoy reading it none the less *looks hopeful*

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Comments would of course be most appreciated *puppy dog eyes* because I always enjoy reading your thoughts and kind words *smiles*

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Thank you of course to **SivanShemesh, TheNaggingCube, Midnightstarlight23, LadyCK7, Jesco123, angelbird12241, Quiet Ryter, cool, CalliM, hypersreak and Guest2** for all your kind words *hugs you* They are really appreciated *smiles*

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**Warnings:** SLASH (Eliot/Tony), Tony!whump and a lot of Eliot!whump and maybe OOCness in this chapter and a few swear words thrown in...

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**Disclaimer: **None of the Leverage or NCIS characters belong to me and I'm just borrowing the characters for that little story. This is just for fun and not for money...

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**Chapter 4**

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Eliot slowly opened his eyes, blinked a few times and looked at whoever was leaning over him, checking his pulse. And only the familiar vibe the person had given off and the fact that he was sore and exhausted had stopped him from using his honed instincts and lashing out to defend himself, probably snapping necks in the process.

Now that he was fully aware of what was going on around him, he was glad that he hadn't attacked the person that was trying to help him.

"Hello Dr. Mallard, old man, long time no see," he murmured weakly and turned his head slowly when he heard a confused noise coming from his other side. Tony stood there, holding a bowl of clean water in is hands. The NCIS agent looked more than a little relieved that Eliot had regained consciousness.

"You two know each other?" Tony questioned, even though he had a few more important things he should be asking right now. But this had been totally unexpected and DiNozzo had no real idea how to deal with it and he needed an explanation. Ducky only shrugged with one shoulder while continuing to clean Eliot's wound with the other, ignoring the hiss of pain from the younger man, because the ME knew that Eliot was well aware that a little pain couldn't be helped and he unfortunately also knew that the Hitter was used to much more pain. When he was finished with cleaning the wound to his satisfaction, he started to answer Tony's question without even glancing at the NCIS agent, completely focused on taking care of Eliot.

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"I'm forever indebted to EJ," he stated curtly, putting aside the cloth he had used to clean the wound. The stitching of it had happened while Eliot had still been unconscious. Ducky then reached for the bandage, wrapping things up, quite literally this time. Tony watched him work silently for a moment, before sitting down on the bed, careful not to jostle Eliot around too much.

"Why didn't you tell me that you two knew each other?" he questioned, putting away the bowl and the bloody cloth that used to be a dish towel. DiNozzo was still so relieved that Eliot was awake, looking like he was already feeling better and not like he was about to die. And he hoped that talking would distract Eliot from his pain a little. And besides, Tony was honestly curious how Ducky and Eliot knew each other. The ME hadn't given much indication that he recognized Eliot, but then again, other things had been more important when Ducky had arrived, like stopping Eliot from bleeding to death. But now Tony would really like to hear that story.

"I had no idea that your Eliot was my EJ," Ducky explained, before instructing Tony to help Eliot sit up a little so that he could wrap the injured ribs of the Hitter now. Eliot hissed through gritted teeth and leaned heavily against Tony's shoulder, but he didn't complain about it otherwise.

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Instead he also answered Tony's question, voice still a lot weaker than Tony was used to and would have liked, but at least it was stronger than when he had arrived earlier. "And I had no idea that Dr. Mallard was still working for NCIS, let alone that he's nicknamed Ducky and you never really said his real name, you always called him Ducky and since we generally don't talk about work too much I never made the connection," he explained. Then he slowly turned his head towards the ME.

"And how often do I have to tell you that your debt has long been repaid and I never did what I did, because I wanted you to be indebted to me. I did it, because it was the right thing to do," Eliot continued, ignoring how much his voice wavered and how he was completely out of breath after that little speech. Thankfully Ducky and Tony did notice how exhausted the Hitter really was, not that any of the two men had thought anything else in the first place.

"I sense an interesting story here," Tony commented while helping Eliot to lie back down on the bed again, now that Ducky had finished patching him up. DiNozzo also made sure that Eliot was resting as comfortable as possible given his current injuries.

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Ducky simply watched the two interact with a fond smile on his lips before he nodded.

"It is indeed a very interesting story, my dear boy," he confirmed, but then he looked at the two younger man sternly.

"But neither you, me nor Eliot are in any shape to talk about something like that right now. And we all need a good night's sleep, especially EJ... or should I call you Eliot now?"

The Hitter smiled a little and would have shrugged if he hadn't been injured and had known that his ribs would protest a lot.

"I don't mind you calling me EJ, Dr. Mallard. In fact it would indeed feel a little weird if you'd suddenly started calling me anything else."

Ducky chuckled a little. "Okay, so EJ it is, but do me a favor and call me Ducky, dear boy," he requested and Eliot answered with a nod. Ducky looked satisfied for now and packed up his equipment.

"But as I said, you two need your rest and I'm not as young as I used to be, so I need my rest too."

Eliot simply nodded again, because, as much as he hated to admit it, he was tired and sore. And Tony had been trying to pretend that he wasn't about to yawn for the last five minutes. DiNozzo now stood up and walked over to the ME, squeezing the older man's shoulder in silent thanks.

"Will you come over for dinner this evening? We can talk about everything then... well, if you think you'll be up to it and if it's okay with you, Eliot," he questioned, glancing at his lover.

"As long as you don't expect me to cook and we're eating in the living room where I can have that comfortable armchair," came the quiet response. Tony chuckled a little and looked at Ducky again.

"So what do you say? In the mood for some lasagna a la DiNozzo? You can bring Jimmy too, because I wanted to tell him about Eliot for real anyway, so that would make things a lot easier," he suggested. Ducky gave him a small smile.

"I'll come over at seven and I'm sure Mr Palmer will be delighted about the invitation. But now get some rest and please call me if you need anything, no matter what time it is," he agreed and then he walked towards the door, followed closely by Tony.

"Thank you again, Duck, for everything," he said, feeling wary, but a lot better now that he knew Eliot would be okay. Ducky waved him off, while grabbing his coat.

"Don't mention it, Tony. And for what it's worth, you two have my blessing," the ME told Tony and before the NCIS agent could answer, Ducky was gone.

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Tony closed the door behind him and leaned against it for a moment, exhaustion creeping into his bones. And just now he became aware again, how late it actually was. But DiNozzo pushed that exhaustion away for now and walked back into the bedroom. Eliot looked a lot better than when he had shown up at his doorstep and gave him a slight smile when he spotted Tony.

"This really wasn't how I imagined our reunion to be," he told Tony, who nodded and carefully sat down on the bed beside the Hitter.

"I didn't picture it like this either," he said and then he finally bent forward and kissed Eliot full on the lips. He had wanted to do that for a while now to assure himself that Eliot was still alive and that his injuries weren't half as bad as they had first appeared. The Hitter looked at him a little surprised and asked: "Not that I'm complaining, but what was that for?"

Tony chuckled tiredly.

"You scared the crap out of me earlier and so I really needed this."

Eliot sighed and reached out with his hand to take Tony's into his own. He really wasn't good at talking about his feelings but for Tony's sake he would try, no matter how out of character that might be for him.

"I didn't mean to scare you Tony and I know that we really need to talk about where we stand with each other. But right now I think we both need to get some sleep and talk about everything else after we're both a little more awake and my ribs aren't hurting as much as they do right now," he suggested and Tony nodded reluctantly, knowing that the other man was right. He was about to get up to get some sleep on his couch when Eliot tightened his grip on his hand.

"Stay," was all he said, looking at Tony intensely.

"Are you sure? Wouldn't you be more comfortable without anyone else hogging the bed?" the NCIS agent asked, unsure what to do. Eliot simply shook his head.

"I'll be the most comfortable with you here and believe me, I've had way worse." Tony wanted to protest again, but the look in Eliot's eyes stopped him and so he slid under the covers too, both shifting around carefully, trying to find a position where they were both comfortable, well Tony made sure that Eliot was as comfortable as possible. He could deal with a few sore muscles if it meant Eliot would get a good night's sleep. And so, minutes later, they were both lying in Tony's bed, Tony carefully holding Eliot in his arms to not hurt him more, both men sound asleep.

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* * *

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The next morning Tony woke up, one arm loosely wrapped around Eliot's waist, the Hitter once again using Tony's chest as a pillow. With relief Tony noted that Eliot didn't look half as pale as he had the night before and he obviously hadn't developed a fever, something Ducky had been worried about and had told him to watch out for. In fact, the Hitter looked much more relaxed than when he had fallen asleep. All those little things helped to ease Tony's worry a lot and he placed a gentle kiss on his lover's forehead, before he gently untangled himself from the bed, trying not to jostle Eliot around too much so that he wouldn't wake him. He then pulled the covers back over Eliot and then he padded barefoot, in boxers and a shirt, into his kitchen to prepare them both breakfast, glad that Eliot hadn't woken up, because the other man really needed his rest.

Sure, Tony really wanted to talk to the other man and find out what exactly had happened and he also wanted to have that "boyfriend" talk, but most of all he wanted Eliot to get better. The rest could wait a little while longer, no matter how insanely curious he was. Tony prepared coffee and breakfast in silence and then he put everything on a tray to carry it back into the bedroom.

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Tony winced a little when he saw the dried blood on his carpet and floor. He'd try and clean them later. If he didn't manage, he'd call a professional firm to take care of it. He could afford it without too much trouble after all. But the blood once again made him realize what had happened last night.

Tony quickly shook himself from those thoughts and finally carried the tray into the bedroom. Eliot was still asleep, which was unusual for the man and showed Tony once again how exhausted the other had really been, because normally Eliot was well aware of everything that went on around him, aware of everything that might be a threat to them.

Tony put the tray down on the nightstand and then sat down on the edge of the bed, once again careful not to jostle the other man. He studied Eliot and his mind again wandered back to the moment Eliot had showed up on his doorstep, bloody and bruised. Tony had felt cold fear in a way he hadn't felt in a long time, maybe even never before. And DiNozzo had decided that very moment that he'd do his best to keep Eliot in his life. They would have that "boyfriend" talk and hopefully Eliot felt the same way about him, because Tony had realized yesterday when he'd feared that he might lose Eliot, that he was falling in love with the Hitter, no matter that Eliot probably kept some very important secrets from him. But maybe they could talk about some of those secrets too after they had had that talk about where they stood with each other.

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Tony sighed and reached out to brush an errant strain of hair from Eliot's forehead. But the moment he touched the other's forehead, Eliot stirred. The NCIS agent smiled, because that was as good sign that Eliot felt at least a little better.

"Good morning Eliot," Tony murmured with a smile and bent down to kiss Eliot gently, a kiss which the other man returned immediately, now fully awake.

"How do you feel?" Tony wanted to know, concern showing in his voice. Eliot sat up a little, wincing when he moved too much.

"Better than last night, or better early this morning. Ducky did a good job. Give me about a week and I'll be as good as new." Eliot's voice was a lot stronger than hours earlier, so Tony decided to believe him for now, but he'd keep an eye on the other man for the time he stayed. He would have to ask Eliot later how long that actually was.

"Are you up for breakfast?" Tony asked instead and Eliot nodded slowly.

"And then we can have that boyfriend talk," he added, which made Tony raise an eyebrow.

"Are you sure you're fit enough to have that talk? I mean you nearly bled out on my expensive carpet last night," Tony tried to joke a little, because he wanted them both to feel comfortable and he was still worried about his lover's health. The knife wound had been pretty deep, luckily missing all vital organs, and it had required a lot of stitches.

Eliot simply chuckled lightly and sat up a little straighter patting the bed beside him.

"Please sit down, Tony."

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DiNozzo sat down beside the other man and the two shared a brief kiss, both of them in need of the close and intimate contact.

"So," Tony started and then stopped again, looking at Eliot expectantly.

"So," Eliot repeated, but he also trailed off, rubbing his uninjured hand over his face.

"Damn it, Tony, I'm no good at stuff like this," he finally admitted, looking a bit sheepish and even embarrassed. Tony chuckled dryly and kissed Eliot again.

"I'm bad at this too, but we need to talk about it, no matter how awkward it may be. And besides, it will only be between the two of us, no one else has to ever know that we talked about our feelings, but again, we really need to talk about this," he informed, which in turn made Eliot sigh heavily.

"I know Tony, I really do know. But can't we simply say that I like you a lot and I want you to be my lover, my boyfriend or whichever other term you prefer, I want you to be mine and I'm more than ready to be committed to you?"

Eliot really wasn't good at talking feelings and his throbbing ribs and the occasional sharp stab of pain from the knife wound didn't help things much, so he just hoped that his words told Tony everything that he needed to hear. Sure, they were unromantic as hell, but hopefully not too offensive and Tony would hopefully be able to read between the lines.

DiNozzo looked at Eliot with wide, surprised eyes and then a bright grin appeared on his face and before Eliot really knew what was happening, Tony kissed him passionately. The kiss lasted a felt eternity and only the need for air made the two men break apart. Tony leaned his forehead against Eliot's and smiled softly.

"That's all I wanted to hear," he whispered and then he added: "And for the record, I like you an awful lot too and want you to be my boyfriend."

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Eliot couldn't help but chuckle, trying to hide the relief he felt that this was out of the way. Tony probably shared that sentiment, because he looked as relieved as Eliot felt.

"So I can introduce you to Jimmy as my boyfriend when he and Ducky come over for dinner later?" he questioned, just to be sure and Eliot simply nodded.

"Yes you can. You can announce it to your whole team if you want," he assured, even though he wasn't sure if he wanted Leroy Jethro Gibbs to know about this. He might not remember Eliot, but Eliot certainly remembered the older man. And Eliot actually wasn't too sure if it was a good idea if the best NCIS team in Washington knew about his relationship with Tony and came up with the idea to do background checks, no matter how good Hardison was, Eliot actually didn't want to risk it, but he had said it, so that Tony saw that he trusted him.

His lover smiled and kissed him again.  
"I'm more than content with only Ducky and Jimmy knowing about this and maybe Abby a bit later. I won't tell Gibbs anything for two reasons. And one of them is that I won't tell Gibbs about you until I know exactly how you and him know each other."

Eliot stiffened at Tony's words. He knew that he would have to tell Tony about his and Gibbs's history eventually, but it was a painful chapter in his past and he needed to be really ready to talk about that and Tony probably wasn't ready to hear about it yet either. The NCIS agent sensed that Eliot's mood was about to change, so he kissed him in a silent apology. He had learned by now that Gibbs was a touchy subject for the other man, even though he had no idea why.

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"Don't worry, I'll wait until you're ready to talk about your and Gibbs' history," he assured, before turning extremely serious.

"But Eliot, now that we're officially boyfriends, I think I deserve to know why you suddenly turn up on my doorstep in the middle of the night, bloody and bruised, scaring the hell out of me." Silence followed Tony's words and Eliot swallowed harshly.

"I know that I owe you an explanation, but it's not that easy... and I'm... I'm afraid that I might lose you..." It had taken Eliot a lot to admit that, but it was the truth and Tony deserved to hear it. The other man stared at him with wide eyes.

"Why would I leave you just because of your job? Do you really think I'm that shallow?"

"I don't think you're shallow. This has nothing to do with me being ashamed of my job," Eliot immediately denied, because he really wasn't. Team Leverage did a lot of good and Eliot was proud of what they had achieved in the time they had worked together. But he knew that they were doing a lot of illegal things for the greater good and he really wasn't sure how Tony was going to react to that. And there was also that pretty dark spot in his past with the highlight of Eliot being Moreau's right hand man and enforcer.

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Tony looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Then what's the problem? I mean you don't sell drugs or weapons or launder money, do you?" he asked, not sure what exactly Eliot was trying to tell him.

"God no, quite the contrary," the Hitter told him, trying not to think about the time when he had done exactly that. Tony's other eyebrow followed the first towards Tony's hairline and he looked pretty bewildered.

"What exactly is that supposed to mean? And what does all of this have to do with you being attacked?"

Eliot took a deep breath, avoided eye contact and then he simply told Tony about Leverage Consulting and what exactly they did, because he knew that his lover deserved the truth and then he simply had to cope with Tony's reaction.

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And when Eliot was finished with his explanation, he stared straight ahead, still avoiding to look at Tony, because he wasn't sure if he could stand the NCIS' agent's disappointment and rejection. The silence seemed to stretch into an eternity, before Tony finally said something.

"So I'm basically dating a modern day Robin Hood?" Tony questioned and Eliot counted it as a good sign that Tony was still talking present tense and wasn't whipping out his handcuffs to arrest him.

"More like a Little John, because that's more my role, but essentially yeah," Eliot finally answered, keeping his tone deliberately light. Tony chuckled, amused by Eliot's joke and somehow delighted that he seemed to rub off on the Hitter. He shook his head thoughtfully.

"No, I'll go with Robin Hood, that's way cooler and the picture of you in a classical Robin Hood outfit is a very tempting one."

Eliot stared at the other, completely at a loss for words, because that really wasn't one of the reactions he had imagined and even expected Tony to have. So he really had nothing to say at the moment. And he didn't have to, because Tony was obviously having a very nice image before his inner eye since he was smiling almost dreamily.

"I really need to get you into a good Robin Hood costume for Halloween. I bet Erol Flynn and Kevin Costner will have nothing on you."

That made Eliot finally find his voice again.

"That's all you have to say to me confessing that I'm basically a criminal, no matter that we're doing it for the greater good?" he questioned, before adding disbelievingly: "I tell you that I con people for a living and you start thinking about me in a Robin Hood costume fro Halloween? Frankly I'm not sure what I find more disturbing, that you don't seem to care that I'm breaking the law on a regular basis or that you wanna see me in forest green tights."

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Tony chuckled again, but then he turned serious, gently grabbing Eliot's chin, so that the other man had to look at him.

"Well, what you do is help innocent people, who have no chance to get justice anywhere else and you bring down bad people, who would evade prosecution otherwise, because they're filthy rich. So essentially it's not much different from what I do," Tony explained his reasoning.

"If you put it like that..." Eliot had never really thought that Tony might see it that way and he somehow felt a lot better that the other man wasn't judging him too harshly for what he did.

"And besides, if I hadn't learned and accepted by now that sometimes our law isn't perfect and needs to be bended a little to get justice, then I certainly wouldn't be able to do this job and sure as hell wouldn't be working with Gibbs's team anymore, because we bend the law on an almost regular basis. As long as you don't hurt innocent people, I won't tell on you and your team, Eliot. I mean, I've gotten to know you for the last few months. And I can honestly say that you're a good person and that you genuinely care about other people, even thought you try to hide it most of the time."

Tony's little speech had lifted a huge weight from Eliot's shoulders. He was still a little disbelieving that Tony really seemed to be okay with what Eliot did, but the Hitter lowered his eyes again.

"Don't call me a good person, Tony, because I'm really not. You're a good man and even Gibbs is a much better man than I am, no matter how much I hate him and no matter if he killed his wife's and daughter's murderer. But some of the things I've done before I met the team, some of them in the name of one government or another, are way worse than you can possibly imagine and I'll never be clean of that. I can only try to make up for those things so that maybe I'll find that young, innocent, idealistic man again when I look into the mirror in the mornings. So please don't call me a good man, Tony."

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Tony stared at his lover with wide eyes. He had never heard Eliot talk like that and he had the impression that he had peeled another layer off of the many that made up the man that was Eliot Spencer. And Tony finally gave in to the urge to hug the other man, still mindful of his injuries.

"It doesn't matter to me what kind of man you were in the past. It only matters what kind of man you are now and to me you're a good man and the most important person in my life right now."

After Tony's little speech there was a long silence in the room and Eliot could only stare at his lover in astonishment. That really wasn't the outcome he had expected when they would have that talk. And now Tony was officially the most amazing person in the world for Eliot, but since he couldn't simply admit that out loud, he decided to show Tony how much those words meant to him. When they broke apart this time, Tony then looked at Eliot, a curious look on his face, and a dozen other emotions shining in his eyes.

"Dare I even ask how you know about Shannon and Kelly and that Gibbs murdered their murderer? Even I haven't known about that for very long."

Tony had never seen anyone's face close off as fast as Eliot's had. It was absolutely void of any emotion and Tony had the feeling that he had just forced Eliot to remember one of those memories he probably had never wanted to touch again.

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"Please never ask me about that again, Tony. If you really care about me, never ask that again," Eliot finally pleaded and Tony nodded almost automatically. It would be hard for him, because he was a curious person by nature and sometimes he was too nosy, one of his greatest faults. But for Eliot's sake he'd try to reign in his own natural desire to solve mysteries, because it seemed to be really painful for Eliot to even remember that, let alone talk about it. And Tony meant what he had said, Eliot was the most important person in his life and he could deal with this, because of that. And as much as Tony wanted to comfort Eliot from any demons he seemed to fight right now, so much more he wanted to find Gibbs and punch him for causing Eliot pain, even though he had no idea how exactly he had done so.

It was one thing that his team, except Ducky and Jimmy and most of the time Abby, seemed to see him as their source of stress relief, but that Gibbs, no matter how unintentionally it may have been, was a bad influence on his relationship with Eliot, made Tony insanely furious. He pulled Eliot into another kiss, putting his arms around the Hitter carefully, so that he wouldn't hurt his lover more, but so that the other would know that he'd support him, no matter what.

When they broke the kiss, Tony leaned his forehead against Eliot's again.

"I promise that I won't ask again, Eliot, but I really hope that you'll be able to tell me on your own one day," he whispered and Eliot smiled at that, even though it wasn't an entirely happy one.

"Maybe one day," he confirmed and pulled Tony closer for another kiss, needing that close contact right now.

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"So, where do we go from here?" Tony broke the silence that had once again descended between them after the kiss. Eliot gave him a honest and somewhat seductive smile.

"If my ribs weren't so damn sore and if previous experiences didn't make me fear that I'd pull some stitches, I'd say we should celebrate that we are now officially boyfriend and boyfriend," he purred. The undertone in his voice told Tony exactly what kind of celebration Eliot had in mind. He sighed regretfully, kissing Eliot's forehead.

"Lio, I can see that you're exhausted and in pain, no matter how much you try to hide it. And as much as I'd love to show you how happy I am that we're now in a committed relationship, I fear it's not a good idea." Tony was as disappointed as Eliot that they couldn't celebrate properly, but he didn't want Eliot to hurt himself even more than he already was.

"But as soon as Ducky declares you fit enough, we'll make up for that."

Eliot grinned at that and pulled Tony in for a kiss once again, enjoying how much closer he felt to the other man right now.

"That sounds like a good plan. And Tony, you're a damn amazing person for just accepting things as they are... for just accepting who I am." Eliot's words were honest and his eyes shone brightly.

"Yeah, well, that's just how I am. I am awesome," Tony replied with fake pathos and then both men chuckled before falling into comfortable silence again. They just enjoyed each others company and were both more than happy that things between them were alright and would work out.

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"So, I assume that it had something to do with your job that you were attacked?" Tony questioned, because he still hadn't got that story out of Eliot, but he really needed to know. The Hitter shrugged and then winced when he pulled on his stitches. Tony looked at his lover in concern, but relaxed when Eliot gave him a reassuring smile that he was alright.

"Well, it kind of is," Eliot started slowly and gave a deep sigh.

"We have pissed off a lot of people since the founding of Leverage Consulting, but believe me, I've pissed off a lot more before joining the team, including some of the worst criminals and terrorists in the world. I regularly fight off hired assassins and those simply got the jump on, because I was exhausted from the long flight and the different time zones, that won't happen again soon," Eliot told him and Tony was a little disturbed how matter of factly Eliot had just told him that people tried to kill him on a regular basis.

"Should I be worried now?" Tony finally questioned, concern shining in his eyes. Eliot smiled a little sadly.

"Not more than I'm worried about you going after murderers on a regular basis. Most of my enemies know not to mess with me, especially now that I've joined forces with a hacker, a grifter, a thief and one of the world's most devious strategists making me even more dangerous now. And they know that I won't come after them if they don't come after me or my loved ones."

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Tony really wasn't satisfied or even reassured with that answer and he knew there were still a lot of secrets in Eliot Spencer's life that he hadn't even begun to uncover. And it was probably better that he never did, at least with some of them. He pulled Eliot close for a moment, waiting if the other had anything else to say. And Eliot indeed had.

"I come with a lot of baggage and none if it is pretty, Tony. So you need to decide if you're able to deal with that or not. And no matter how much it would hurt me to let you go, the choice is yours," Eliot said with a weak smile, because he had decided to be honest with Tony, since the other man deserved that and he had already proven that he was worth Eliot's trust.

"I have my own baggage too, Eliot, so yeah, I can deal because you're very important to me," Tony told him surely and the two men kissed again, both feeling confident that this could really work despite their differences. Again they sat in silence, finally starting their breakfast. Both men simply enjoyed this quiet morning, not sure how many more they would have like that. Given both of their history, it wouldn't be too many.

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to be continued...

Well, so, what do you say? I'm really insecure about this chapter and I hope it wasn't too out of character for Eliot and Tony and you enjoyed reading it *smiles hopefully* Comments would be most appreciated *puppy dog eyes*


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Hey *waves* Here comes a new chapter and it hasn't been months of waiting this time *grins*

I really hope you will like it and your comments would absolutely make my day *puppy dog eyes*

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Thank you to **SivanShemesh, cjab1234, LadyCK7, Midnightstarlight23, Quiet Ryter, Jesco123, psychic-pineapple-paper and CalliM** for all your kind words *hugs you all* I really appreciate your kind words *smiles happily*

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**Warnings: **SLASH (Eliot/Tony), Tony!whump and a lot of Eliot!whump and maybe OOCness in this chapter and a few swear words thrown in...

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**Disclaimer: **None of the Leverage or NCIS characters belong to me and I'm just borrowing the characters for that little story. This is just for fun and not for money...

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**Chapter 5**

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"So we're going to have to work with another team from another agency on top of the team from the FBI?"

Ziva looked at McGee and then at Tony. The three of them were sitting in the bullpen, eyes on where Director Vance, Agent Tobias Fornell and Gibbs had just vanished into Vance's office. Well Tony was merely pretending to watch so that he didn't have to face any annoying questions as to why he was so uninterested in this whole thing.

Well, it wasn't that he was uninterested per say, his mind was simply somewhere else right now. It had been six weeks since that night where Eliot had turned up on his doorstep, bleeding and since they had had that boyfriend talk. And they had spent a very nice week together afterward, Eliot recovering and Tony using up some vacation time. They had celebrated their new-found relationship after Eliot had felt a little better. And the dinner with Ducky and Jimmy had gone very well and Tony smiled at the fond memories.

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But now he hadn't heard from Eliot in two weeks and that as unusual, because the Hitter found the time to at least sent a text message, no matter how busy he was, but so far he hadn't answered Tony's calls and messages and the NCIS agent was getting worried. And that was about the only reason he was kind of glad for their newest case and how he managed to be interested in what was going on behind Vance's closed office doors.

Ziva and McGee were still speculating about the case that seemed to a lot bigger than they had originally thought. It had to be, because otherwise they wouldn't have to give the lead to a top secret government team, which didn't even exist if people were officially asked about it. Unofficially it seemed to be a totally different matter thought. The team was only called in when the national safety was threatened more than it usually was.

And Fornell had arrived moments before, also informing them that this secret team would be here soon, so speculations were running wild across the bullpen. The FBI had been in on the case for a few days now too and so they had gone to Vance's office to bring each other up to speed on their findings, a united force against another team of outsiders so to speak, or at least that seemed to be the reason why Gibbs and Fornell worked much better together than they normally did.

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"Maybe I can find something about that team," McGee suddenly suggested and finally sat down at his own desk again, fingers already flying across the keyboard, Ziva now leaning over his shoulder, watching him hack into a few databases.

Tony, who had still been only half listening to the conversation, because he was still wondering why Eliot hadn't contacted him in two weeks, finally looked up.

"Or maybe you could simply wait a few more minutes, McNosy," he stated, finally putting away his cellphone, because he knew staring at it wouldn't make Eliot write him back. It was simply that Tony was slowly starting to really worry about his boyfriend, but he still had a job to do and for now he needed to concentrate on that.

"Aren't you curious at all, Tony? I mean, normally you're the one who wants in on all the secrets," Ziva questioned, perching on DiNozzo's desk again, toying with Tony's letter opener, giving him one of her typical looks. Tony rolled his eyes, completely ignoring the snide remark about his nosiness, because she was partially right that he wanted to know what was going on around him, but that made him a good agent that he could detect when people kept secrets from him. And besides, Ziva really wasn't one to talk, she constantly questioned him about his private life...

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Tony had just opened his mouth to make one of his usual remarks, when suddenly the elevator dinged, signaling its arrival and all heads in the bullpen turned towards the two doors, who slowly slid open. Two men in some sort of military uniform were revealed, one of them was about Gibbs's age, Tony guessed and tall... really tall, short hair and an intimidating presence around him, wearing a Colonel's uniform, judging from the decorations, but it still looked different from any agency Tony knew about.

The other... well, Tony congratulated himself for not falling off his chair in surprise or jump up and scream with joy. Because out of the elevator stepped none other than Eliot Spencer. Tony only gaped a little when he recognized his lover. And Eliot looked different than the last time he had seen him, his hair was shorter and he was even more tanned than before, but it was still unmistakably Eliot.

And now, that Tony had gotten over his surprise to see Eliot walk into NCIS headquarters without even flinching, he had to admit that Eliot looked damn hot in the outfit he wore, tanned, arm muscles on display the tight, military green tank top he wore, a pair of dog tags around his neck, a light brown uniform jacket, the same color as the Colonel's uniform, slung casually over one shoulder. And Tony could see a few heads turning when Eliot passed and as much as his jealousy was fueled, Tony could also admit that Eliot's ass looked fabulous in the uniform trousers. So he couldn't blame the heads, male and female alike, turn, staring at the handsome man.

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This time Tony only barely resisted the urge to walk up to Eliot, pull him into a deep kiss and show everyone in the bullpen who Eliot belonged to, but DiNozzo knew that that would probably end in a very embarrassing disaster. But Ziva's almost predatory smile in Eliot's direction made DiNozzo seething inside and Tony hoped that he'd be able to catch Eliot alone for a few minutes to talk to him... and maybe do a little more than talk... just a little, since they were still at work. So Tony contended himself with discreetly watching Eliot's rear while Eliot and the other man climbed the stairs to Vance's office, obviously knowing exactly where they had to go, while he wondered what exactly Eliot was doing here and how he had got here.

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As soon as the two men had vanished into the room, the talks in the silent bullpen started again, everybody speculating about and discussing the two men.

"That was the team?" McGee questioned, fingers still flying over the keyboard, trying to gather information.

"Maybe only the advance guard to discuss the newest finding," Abby's voice suddenly said from Tony's right. Of course the curious forensic expert had found her way into the bullpen at exactly the right time to see the new arrivals.

"Maybe," Ziva agreed, a gleam still in her eyes.

"But it's a very good looking advance guard," she added and this Time Tony actually had to bite his lip to not say anything inappropriate or snappy.

"Well, whoever they are, they don't leave much of a digital footprint in any of the databases. The only thing I could find, was that the tall one is a Colonel Vance, but nothing more," McGee interjected.

"Again, you need to learn patience, probie, We will only have to wait for about another five seconds before Gibbs will request our..." Tony didn't even get to finish his sentence, before Gibbs's voice carried through the bullpen: "DiNozzo, McGee, Ziva, office now."

"...presence," Tony finished his sentence anyway, giving McGee and Ziva a cheeky grin.

McGee meanwhile questioned: "His office or the director's office?"

Tony, who had already stood up, bopped McGee on the back of his head with his flat hand and then quickly ascended the stairs towards Vance's office, Ziva and McGee following quickly behind.

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Eliot really felt uncomfortable in the uniform that he hadn't worn for years now, no matter how informal it was for a uniform, and which he had never wanted to wear again. But when Vance had called him and practically begged him to come back, even though Vance of course hadn't worded it like that, Eliot hadn't been able to say no, not with what was at stake and not with what Vance and him had been through together.

But when he entered the bullpen of the NCIS agency, he wonder if it really had been a good idea, especially when he had seen Tony looking at him with wide eyes. He hadn't been able to warn his lover that he'd pop up at DiNozzo's workplace. But it also gave Eliot the chance to finally show Tony's team that they'd better stop treating Tony like something they scraped off the bottom of their shoe, well at least that was the impression he got from the way Tony talked about his team and also defended their actions in the next sentence, a clear indication that he wasn't lying. And Eliot planned to do something against that treatment of his lover. The Hitter, well now he was a military man again, at least for the time being, didn't dare to make eye-contact with Tony though, so that they both wouldn't be tempted to give anything away they weren't ready to reveal. So he kept his gaze focused ahead of him, ignoring the curious looks he got from everybody in the bullpen.

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Before they entered Director Vance's office, Eliot took a deep breath. What he hadn't really counted on, even if he should have if he was honest with himself, was seeing Leroy Jethro Gibbs again and he wondered if the other man would even remember him. Maybe he was one of the memories lost in the bombing Tony had told him about. That would probably be for the best and wouldn't make things even more complicated. And Eliot sure as hell wasn't ready to let a government screw up his life once again and he was doing this purely as a favor to an old friend, nothing more, nothing less... well okay, he also wanted to save innocent lives, but that was a whole different matter.

Colonel Vance seemed to sense his friend's unease and looked at Eliot.

"You'll be able to gin there without punching a certain Gunny straight in the face?" Vance questioned, looking serious and even a little concerned.

"I'll do my best," Eliot promised, smiling a tight-lipped smile.

"That's good enough for me, since I know exactly what your best is," Vance replied and then the two men entered the office, only to be met with three cold stares. But Eliot noted, with a hint of grim satisfaction, that Jethro Gibbs seemed to at least remember that he had seen and met Eliot somewhere before, even though he probably couldn't place quite where.

"Colonel Vance,", Director Vance greeted and Eliot allowed a small smile to play around his lips at the shared surname of the two leaders of the joint operation.

"Director Vance," the Colonel replied, obviously equally as amused as Eliot at that coincidence. Then introductions were made and Eliot flinched a little when he was introduced as Commander Spencer, but relieved when there was no recognition in Gibbs's eyes.

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There was a moment of silence, before Gibbs finally stood from his chair, obviously trying to intimidate Vance and Eliot.

"So, where is the rest of your team?" he asked and it was very evident that he wasn't pleased about having to work with a team from another agency, from an agency that officially didn't exist no less. Well, Eliot didn't blame him for that in the least and that was probably about the only thing Gibbs and him had in common. Well, there were a few other traits he and Gibbs shared, but Eliot really didn't want to think about those too much right now. He straightened his shoulders a little more to show Gibbs that he wouldn't be intimidated by him.

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Gibbs, for his part, stared at the two uniformed men, especially the younger man and there was a niggling feeling and a faded memory that told Gibbs that he should know him.  
Commander Spencer, as Colonel Vance – and yes, even Jethro found that coincidence amusing – had introduced him, stood at ease, face a dispassionate mask and he looked at no one in particular, simply listening to the two Vance's and Fornell talk. And Gibbs had obviously been so distracted by trying to figure out who Eliot really was, that even he was a little startled when Director Vance addressed him: "Gibbs, you better call your team now."

The former marine didn't bother to confirm Vance's request, he simply exited Vance's office and stood on top of the stairs, hollering across the bullpen: "DiNozzo, McGee, Ziva, office now."

He grinned when McGee nearly tripped in his haste to obey and even Ziva looked a little startled, a telling sign for Gibbs that they had tried to snoop around in the private lives of their visitors and Gibbs made a mental note to ask McGee later what he had found out.

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His gaze wandered to Tony, who simply looked at McGee and Ziva with a slightly exasperated look on his face, before giving McGee a headslap for something he had said. But something on Tony's face gave Gibbs a slight pause. His senior field agent had been different these past few weeks, but Gibbs still hadn't figured out what was different and all provocations hadn't brought results so far, no matter if they came from him or Ziva and McGee teaming up on DiNozzo. And the way Tony looked, Gibbs got a weird feeling in his gut, that Tony knew something about those visitors that the rest of them didn't. How that was even possible, Gibbs had no idea, but he trusted his gut and something in Tony's behavior suggested that there was something and Jethro made another mental note to ask DiNozzo about it. Maybe he'd be able to get a little closer to Tony again, because he had also noticed that him and his senior field agent had grown apart, no matter that Gibbs had no idea why...

But right now he needed to shake off those thoughts and concentrate on the case, because many lives were at stake. And Gibbs also really needed to figure out, why Commander Spencer looked so damn familiar...

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to be continued...

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Well, yeah, here is the new chapter and I hope this new plot twist is okay with you *grins sheepishly* I promise you'll get to read about that dinner between Tony, Eliot and Ducky and Jimmy in a flashback later *smiles*

But my muses wanted me to write this, so I did. Oh and just for the record, I really hope this doesn't come across as character bashing of Ziva, McGee and Gibbs, because that really isn't my intention, it's merely Eliot's subjective on things, so yeah, I hope things weren't too OOC.

And comments for this chapter would of course be most appreciated *puppy dog eyes*


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